1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire configuration judging device and a tire classifying method using the same. More specifically it relates to a tire configuration judging device which judges the quality of a tire by mechanically detecting the configurations of the bead portions or the like of the tire and to a tire classifying method in which a tire whose quality has been judged is classified as a normal tire or an abnormal tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, after the completion of the manufacturing of a tire, it is determined whether the produced tire (which will be called only a "tire" hereinafter) is suitable as a structural part of a vehicle, i.e., it is judged whether the tire is a normal tire or an abnormal tire. At this time, an operator determines the configurations of tires and judges their quality by observing and touching the tires one by one.
However, conventionally, the determination of the configuration of a tire and the judgment on the quality thereof have relied on manual work by an operator. For this reason, there arises the problem that the results of the judgment on the quality of a tire may vary depending upon how much the operator is experienced or the like.
Further, in the determination of the configuration of a tire, the operator determines the configuration of certain portions of the tire by rotating or turning over the tire. For this reason, when it comes to a tire having a large size or a heavy weight, it is an extremely hard work for the operator to handle such tire. In addition, since the judging of the quality of tires requires much concentration on the part of the operator, in a case in which such work must be continued for a prolonged time, there arises a problem that the operator suffers from physical or mental fatigue.